Fixations….

WHY?? I ask that a lot, especially when it comes to how we choose to live our lives.

I simply can’t understand how we Americans are so fixated on flexing our muscle throughout the world when we have so many thing that need repair in our own country. It is almost as if we are willing to sacrifice our own well being in order to exercise our power. We must realize that the world didn’t assign us to be policemen of the world, that was a choice we made, often times much to our own detriment.

Since I hold on to Quaker roots I understand that I am more averse to aggression than many in my homeland. I understand that much of our culture is based upon violence and domination. I understand that this type of a world view dictates an overwhelming military superiority. I understand these things but I just don’t accept them as the way they have to be.

We claim to be a nation based on Christian principles. When I read the Bible Jesus tells me very clearly that means we are to love God and love our fellow man. These are the two foundational laws of that religion. God did not put nation barriers on that list. Our fellow man is a worldwide concept; maybe even beyond our little globe? The dichotomy of being an aggressor vs a Christian is troubling to me.

If only we could take some advice from one of my heroes Will Rogers and tend to our own business instead of poking our guns and military might in the rest of the world we might just be able to fix some of our own problems. Why do we need to continually make enemies of the rest of the world in order to give ourselves some sense of security? When will we understand that often times flexing our muscles in the world is a cause not a cure for our insecurity?

If we must be fixated why can’t we fixate on curing our own ills. We let many of our citizens go through life without sufficient healthcare because we have not figured out how to dispense it efficiently. We have more of our citizens under lock and key than any country in the world. Why can’t we figure out the root causes of that? In order to maintain overwhelming military superiority we let our education system fall behind much of the world. Why do we allow guns to destroy much of our society? Thousands die every years due to suicides with guns. Thousands die because of random violence with guns. Thousands die due to gun accidents. It just makes no sense to me that we continue to ignore simple solutions to this problem.

Why are we so fixated on solving the world’s problems when we have so many of our own to look after?

But I’m just a simple guy so what do I know…..

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3 thoughts on “Fixations….”

Wars are not about flexing our government muscles- they are about protecting income and product of the wealthy. Occasionally we get into it to protect- but not often in the last 2000 years. Heck, we didn’t know about the Jews in Europe until near the end of WWII. We did not bother with slavery until the North saw it as an angle to break the South’s hold on goods. Once we stop playing into the wealthy’s hand- we will be empowered to argue about how to spend our own money. Of course that is all about wealth as well.
Here is what I am fixated on these days.

Very left wing for someone you considered ultimately right winged to begin with?
What can I say- I was Jesuit raised. Social conscience is important to me.

Yeah I saw this video too. The income inequality drives much in this country but so does the military establishment. I don’t think this is a left/right issue but one of justice. Maybe just that opinion is left though 🙂

I did pull the video off your comment. Thanks my right leaning left friend. It just goes to show that none of us can really be put totally in any one box. We just don’t fit…..